They include:. Smoking can directly damage the walls of your arteries, making them more likely to bulge. It can also increase your risk of high blood pressure.
Blood pressure refers to the level of pressure on the walls of your blood vessels. High blood pressure can weaken the walls of your aorta. This makes an aneurysm more likely to form. Serious inflammation within the aorta and other arteries can occasionally cause AAAs.
This happens very rarely. Aneurysms can form in any blood vessel in your body. However, AAAs are considered particularly serious because of the size of the aorta. Most aneurysms have no symptoms unless they rupture. If an AAA does rupture, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:.
Call your doctor immediately if you experience any of these symptoms. A ruptured aneurysm can be life-threatening. They may also check the blood flow in your legs or use one of the following tests:. Depending on the size and exact location of the aneurysm, your doctor may perform surgery to repair or remove the damaged tissue.
This may be done either with open abdominal surgery or endovascular surgery. The surgery performed will depend on your overall health and the type of aneurysm.
Open abdominal surgery is used to remove damaged areas of your aorta. Open abdominal surgery may be necessary if your aneurysm is very large or has already ruptured. Endovascular surgery is a less invasive form of surgery than open abdominal surgery. It involves using a graft to stabilize the weakened walls of your aorta. If your doctor recommends open abdominal surgery, it may take up to six weeks to recover. Recovery from endovascular surgery only takes two weeks.
The success of surgery and recovery greatly depends on whether or not the AAA is found before it ruptures. Prognosis is usually good if the AAA is found before it ruptures. Focusing on heart health can prevent an AAA. Shock can be fatal if not treated right away. Weaker aorta walls increase your chance of developing an aneurysm. There are many conditions that can weaken the walls of the aorta. These include aging, smoking, and high blood pressure. If any of the following factors apply to you, you are at higher risk of having an AAA.
Doctors commonly find AAAs by chance during a routine exam. They also find them when doing tests for other issues, including unrelated pain in your abdomen. Doctors recommend an AAA screening for men ages 65 to 75 who have ever smoked. If your doctor finds or thinks you might have an AAA, he or she might refer to you a specialist for treatment. But there are steps you can take to lower your risk.
These include:. Treatment for an AAA depends on its size. If your aneurysm is small, it might not need to be treated. Your doctor may just monitor it using routine testing. If your doctor is concerned about it, he or she may prescribe medicine. These can be used to lower blood pressure or relax blood vessels. This can help prevent the AAA from rupturing. If your aneurysm is large or is growing quickly, you will most likely need surgery.
There are 2 main kinds of surgery to remove or repair AAAs:. The type of surgery you have depends on many factors. Talk to your doctor about which kind is best for you. If you have an AAA, it is important to get regular medical care. Listen to your doctor and follow your treatment plan.
He or she may advise you to avoid lifting heavy objects. Try to avoid highly emotional situations or crises that could raise your blood pressure. Take care of yourself to prevent the aneurysm from bursting or tearing. This article was contributed by: familydoctor. This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.
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Steps, such as quitting smoking, controlling blood sugar if you have diabetes, losing weight if overweight, and eating a healthy diet may help control the progression of the aneurysm. Used to control factors such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm open repair. A large incision is made in the abdomen to let the surgeon see and repair the abdominal aorta aneurysm. A mesh, metal coil-like tube called a stent or graft may be used. This graft is sewn to the aorta, connecting one end of the aorta at the site of the aneurysm to the other end. The open repair is the surgical standard for an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Endovascular aneurysm repair EVAR. EVAR requires only small incisions in the groin. Using X-ray guidance and specially-designed instruments, the surgeon can repair the aneurysm by inserting the stent or graft inside the aorta. The graft material may cover the stent. The stent helps hold the graft open and in place.
A small aneurysm or one that doesn't cause symptoms may not require surgery until it reaches a certain size or is rapidly increasing in size over a short period of time. Your doctor may recommend "watchful waiting.
Surgery may be necessary if the aneurysm is large or fast growing, increasing chances of rupture. Women with large aneurysms are more likely than men to suffer a rupture. For suprarenal above the kidneys AAA, only open surgery is available in the U.
However, AAA at or below the kidneys may be treated by open or endovascular surgery. Not all patients can tolerate the risk of open surgery, so endovascular repair is a great option. Unfortunately, not all patients have the anatomy to qualify for endovascular repair. Consult your vascular surgeon about which technique is best for you.
Open aneurysm repair : A large incision is made in the abdomen to repair the aneurysm. Another incision is made in the aorta for the length of the aneurysm. A cylinder called a graft is used for the repair. Grafts are made of polyester fabric or polytetrafluoroethylene PTFE, nontextile synthetic graft. This graft is sewn to the aorta, from just above the aneurysm site to just below it. The artery walls are then sewn over the graft.
Using X-ray guidance, a stent graft is inserted into the femoral artery and sent to the site of the aneurysm. A stent is a thin metal mesh framework shaped into a long tube, while the graft, a fabric covering the mesh, is made of a polyester fabric called PTFE.
The stent holds the graft open and in place. It may be more easily tolerated by high-risk patients. However, the graft can sometimes slip out of place and may later need to be fixed.
Fenestrated stent graft : When the aneurysm is juxtarenal at the kidneys or involves the arteries of the kidneys, the prior standard treatment has been open surgery. In , the FDA approved a fenestrated stent graft, now available in a few vascular surgery programs, including Johns Hopkins.
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